Connector for electrical conductors



H. F. MAXIM- CONNECTOR FOR ELECTRICAL CONDUCTORS. APPLICATION FILED MAR. I9, 1913. RENEWED JULY 19. 1919.

Patented Apr. 13, 1920.

avwemtoz wa ljfmzm q vwmeowo UNITED PATENT OFFICE.

HOSEA F. MAXIM, OF NORFOLK, VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF TO OTTO VJ'ELIJS, OF NORFOLK, VIRGINIA.

CONNECTOR FOR ELECTRICAL CONDUCTOBS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 13, 1920.

Application filed March 19, 1913, Serial No. 755,5GG. Renewed July 18, 1919. Serial No. 312,111.

To all whom it may come m:

Be it known that I, HOSEA F. MAXIM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Norfolk, in the county of Norfolk and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Connectors for Electrical Conductors, of which the following is a specification, reference being bad therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to improvements in connectors for electrical conductors, and in particular, to the connectors of the type commonly referred to as battery spring clips. My improved form of spring clip comprises two parts; the body part which is adapted to be attached to a conductor, such as the zinc shell of a dry battery or carbon terminal, or, in fact any piece of electrical apparatus, and a spring lever which serves the purpose of gripping a wire firmly in the body part.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide a clip which is in such a form that it may be readily attached to any piece of apparatus. For example, the same form of clip, without any modification whatever, is readily attached to the zinc shell of a bat tery or to an upright carbon post, such as is used in some forms of a battery, or to the top surface of a carbon terminal, such as some battery-makers prefer to use. The clip is so formed that it is readily attached by a single bolt and nut to any piece of electrical apparatus. In some instances, soldering is preferred in order to obtain a better electrical contact. Another object of my invention is to provide a clip to which a wire may be secured so firmly that it is impossible to withdraw the wire without releasing the spring of the clip. A particular advantage incident to my improved form of clip is the readiness with which it may be assembled or taken apart. As will appear later from the specification, the spring part may readily be inserted in the body part at a single operation, and when once in place, cannot be accidentally removed.

Referring to'the drawings Figure 1 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view through a dry cell, showing my improved form of clips mounted, one upon the zinc shell of a battery, and the other upon the upper face of the carbon terminal;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the manner 'in which my improved clip is bolted to one face of a vertical carbon element F g. 3 is a plan view of my improved clip Fig. l is a side elevation with the spring raised in position for inserting a wire;

Fig. 5 is an elevation of the side opposite to that shown in Fig. at with the spring in its normal position;

Fig. 6 is a front elevation of the body part of the clip with the. spring removed;

Fig. 7 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view showing a wire inserted within the cli Fig. 8 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view with the handle raised in position for the insertion of a wire, and

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the spring removed from the body of the clip.

Referring to the drawing My improved form of clip is shown in its preferred form. It comprises two elements, namely, the body part and spring part. The body part in the preferred form as shown is formed from a flat piece of material, such as brass or copper, comparatively thin, anc. of approximately rectangular form. The numeral 1 indicates the flat base portion of the body part provided with a hole 2 for securing the body in position where a bolt and nut are suliicient for that purpose. The front edge the body part is bent upward at 3 at right angles to the flat portion 1. It is then looped upon itself at at, and the end 5 bent downward, a vertical slot being formed between the two parts 3 and 5.

The loop at l provides a circular opening hrough which the straight rod like end 6 of the spring is inserted. I The spring is approximately square in outline with the side '7 parallel to the straight rod part6, the sine 8 connecting sides 6 and 7, and side 9 extending from side 7 adjacent the end of rod 6. The portion of the wire away from the rod 6 is bent upward at 10 to form a better handle for manipulating the spring. As pre-- viously stated, the loop 4: provides an opening for the insertion of the end 6 of the swing. and when the spring is in position, the end of the rod 6 extends to the opposite side of the looped portion ofthe base. A hole 11 is drilled through the looped section of the clip at right angles to theopening running through it. and consequently at right angles to the side 6 of the spring. The lower wall of this aperture or hole 11 serves as an abutment for the circuit wire to take the pressure of the rod 6 when applied in the manner to be described. The rod 6 is flattened or cut away atone side to provide for the reception of the wire between it and the abutn'ient. Preferably, this flattening is in the form of a notch or groove 12 cut in the rod which will register with the hole 11 in the body part. This notch is cut approximately half-way through the body of the wire, sharp corners being formed at its edges.

The notch is in such a position that when the spring is elevated to a position, as shown in Fig. 8, the wire will not obstruct the opening 11, thereby permitting the insertion of a wire through this opening.

In order to provide a stiff spring movement to maintain the body part of the spring normally in a plane parallel with the fiat body part of the clip, I have extended a lip 13 from the top of a looped section f out over the end 9 of the spring. It is therefore evident (see Fig. at) that when the wire is raised about the section 6 as an axis, theportion 9 will be distorted from the general plane of the spring and thrown to one side by contacting with the edge of the lip 13. This spring action causes the wire to normally maintain a position parallel with the body of the clip and with the notched-out section of the wire partially obstructing the opening 11. It is when in this position that a wire inserted in the opening is firmly gripped by the rotation of the wire 6..

Fig. 7 shows a wire engaged by the notched section of the spring and it is evi dent from the arrangement of parts that when tension is exerted on the wire, the tendency will be for the section (3 to rotate and cut farther into the wire, thus increasing the grip and preventing the withdrawal of the wire. It will be observed that the rod section 6 is firmly mounted in the body so as to be rotatable about an axis which is fixed, and it will furthermore be observed that the rod section 6 itself is transversely rigid so as to resist any strains tending to compress it or distort it cross-sectionally. This is important a rod which is capable of yielding along transverse lines would ve way and permit the wire to slip. It will furthermore be observed that the rod rotates into its wire-engaging position in the direction of the tension on the wire, that is, the lower part of the rod which grips the wire moves in the direction which the wire itself tends to move under its own tension. The result is that the tension on the wire, as above stated, tends to cause further rotation of the rod in the same direction thus increasing the force of the grip. And to release the wire, the rod must be rotated in the opposite direction. In order to prevent the rotation of the section 6 to a point where there might be danger of shearing the conductor wire, I

have bent upward a section 14 of the body part directly under the portion of the spring wire 9 so as to provide a stop to prevent the rotation of the section 6 beyond the position shown in Figs. 5 and 7 l/Vhen the spring is turned upward by means of the finger lever to a position, such as is shown in Fig. 4 the stop 14: serves a secondary purpose of contacting with the underside of the wire 9, thus preventing the further rotation of the spring in that direction. By means of the stop, the action of the spring is therefore limited to an arc of approximately 90.

A feature of importance in connection with my improved clip, is the readiness with which it may be assembled or taken apart. By pressing outward upon the end 9 of the spring, that is, pushing it away from the side 8, that end of the spring may be raised over the lip 13 and the section 6 readily withdrawn from the looped portion of the body part 4-. This is readily done at a single operation. The spring is inserted into position by the reversal of this operation, and once in position, it cannot be accidentally disengaged from the body part.

I have shown in the drawings three methods of securing a clip to electrical apparatus. In Fig. l a dry cell of a Weiknown variety is shown, and I have mounted the spring clip A upon the zinc terminal by spreading the section 5 of the body part slightly away from its parallel member and inserting therein the zinc shell 15. In the particular arrangement illustrated, I'have placed the clip in position before the sealing composition is poured onto the top of the battery. The extended flat portion 1 therefore lies under the sealing composition and aids in securing the clip in place. If, however, this is found to be insuflicient, a drop of solder may be placed upon the portion of the zinc contacting with the body part of the clip, thus providing an efficient mechanical as well as electrical connection. It is to be noted that the spring portion of the clip extends well within, and close to, the body of the battery, thus providing a minimum of obstruction in packing and storing, and at the same time, eliminating danger of contacting with adjacent cells which oftentimes occur with the type of clip which extends out over the zinc shell. The clip B in Fig. 1 is shown attached by solder to the upper surface of the vertical carbon. The fiat body part 1, in this instance, forms a support, there being no difference between this clip and the clip A attached to the zinc. In Fig. 2 the same form of clip is shown attached by means of a bolt to one of the vertical faces of a carbon terminal.

In my improved clip I have provided a wire gripping spring which, though exceedingly powerful, requires but little manual labor to manipulate. This is due to the method by which I mount the spring in the body part so that the rotation of the section (5 throws one side of the square out of the normal plane of the spring. It is thus evident that a heavy gage wire may be used for this purpose where ordinarily such wire when bent into the form of the springs, now in use in such clips, would be impracticable.

lVhat I claim is:

1. In a connector for electric conductors, the combination of a body formed of sheet metal perforated to permit the conductor to be passed through it and to have the wall bounding the perforation constitute an abutment therefor, the metal of the body being bent to constitute a bearing adjacent to the perforation and transverse thereto, and a rod mounted in the said bearing and having the portion that is opposite the perforation formed with a sharp edge adapted to engage with the conductor and force it against the wall of the perforation when the rod is turned in the direction of the tension on the conductor.

2. In a wire holding clip for batteries, the combination of an abutment, an oscillatory rod positioned closely adjacent the abutment and having a flattened surface whereby a wire lying perpendicularly to the rod can be received between it and the abutment, corners being formed at the ends of the flattened surface whereby the wire is forced against the abutment when the rod is turned, and means automatically tending to turn the rod to bring one of the said corners into engagement with the wire.

3. In a connector for electric conductors, the combination of a fixed body having a wire-receiving opening therein, a transversely rigid rod mounted adjacent the said opening and movable about a fixed axis, the said rod normally obstructing the said opening but being rotatable out of obstructing position, and a spring tending to hold the rod in its normal position.

at. In a connector for electric conductors, the combination of a fixed body having an opening therein, a spring having one part mounted on the said body for rotation about a fixed axis and normally obstructing the said opening, the said end part being rotatable to a non-obstructing position, and an abutment with which the'other end part of the spring engages to effect rotation of the first said part.

5. The combination of the body having a wire receiving aperture and a second aper ture at right angles to and intersecting the first aperture, a rod rotatably mounted in the second aperture and adapted when turned to press against a wire in the first aperture, and a spring formed integrally with the rod at one end thereof and tending to turn it into wire engaging position.

6. In a wire holding clip for batteries,

the combination of an abutment, an oscillatory rod positioned closely adjacent the abutment and having a flattened surface whereby a wire lying perpendicularly to the rod can be received between it and the abutment, corners being formed at the ends of the flattened surface whereby the wire is forced against the abutment when the rod is turned, and a spring formed integrally with the rod at one end thereof and tending to turn the rod to bring one of the said corners into engagement with the wire.

'7. The combination of a body having a wire receiving aperture and a second aperture at right angles to and intersecting the first aperture, a rod rotatably mounted in the second aperture and adapted when turned to press against a wire in the first aperture, and a spring formed integrally with the red at one end thereof and tending to turn it into wire engaging position.

8. In a connector for electric conductors, the combination of a fixed body having a wire-receiving opening therein and a spring having one end in the form of a rod and mounted in the said body for rotation about a fixed axis, the rotatable rod normally obstructing the wire-receiving opening in the said body and being rotatable to a non-obstructing position by distorting the said spring.

9. In a connector for electric conductors, the combination of a body having an elongated opening therein and a wire-receiving opening transverse the elongated openin a wire spring having one end extending through the elongated opening and having a notched-out section adjacent the wire-receiving opening and adapted when in its normal position to partially close the said opening, the said spring being in substantially the form of a square, and means for distorting the said spring when its end is rotated to a position in which it does not obstruct the wire-receiving opening.

10. In a connector for electric conductors, the combination of a body having a wire-receiving opening therein, a spring having one end rotatable adjacent the opening and adapted normally to partially obstruct the said openin stops limiting the rotation of the said spring to approximately 90, and means for distorting the said spring when it is moved out of the openingobstructing position.

11. The combination of a body having a conductor-receiving aperture and a second aperture at an angle to the first aperture and intersecting it, a rectangular wire spring having one section adjacent one end of the wire pivoted in the second aperture and notched so as to leave the first aperture unobstructed when turned to a certain position, and an abutment on the bony against which the section of the spring adjacent the other end of the wire reacts to normally hold the first said section out of the said position in which the first said aperture is unobstructed.

12. The combination of a body having a conductor-receiving aperture and a second aperture at an angle to the first aperture and intersecting it, a rectangular wire spring having one section adjacent one end of the wire pivoted in the second aperture and notched so as to leave the first aperture unobstructed when turned to a certain position, an abutment on the body against which the section of the spring adjacent the other end of the wire reacts to normally hold the first said section out of the said position in which the first said aperture is unobstructed, and a small stop on the body for engaging the spring to limit its movement in both directions.

18. The combination of a body having a conductor-receiving aperture and a second aperture at an angle to the first aperture and intersecting it, a rectangular wire spring having one section adjacent one end of the wire pivoted in the second aperture and notched so as to leave the first aperture unobstructed when turned to a certain position, and an abutment on the body against which the section of the spring adjacent the other end of the wire reacts to normally hold the first said section out of the said position in which the first said aperture is unobstructed, the said spring being disengageable from the abutment to permit removal endwise.

14. The combination of a body having a vertical slot adapted to receive the thin sheet metal shell of a dry battery and a horizontal base plate adapted to be secured to the carbon terminal of a dry battery and also having a conductor-receiving aperture, and a spring mounted on the body for engaging a conductor in the said aperture.

15. The combination of a sheet metal body having a horizontal base plate adapted to be secured to the carbon terminal of a dry battery and a section extending upward from the base plate and doubled back on itself to form a vertical slot adapted to receive the thin sheet metal shell of a dry battery, a conductor-receiving aperture being formed through the two parts of the upward extending section, and a spring for engaging a conductor in the said aperture.

In testimony whereof I a'fiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HOSEA F. MAXIM. lVitnesses:

N. L. GoReAs, E. MOURIEL. 

